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The network’s charitable foundation endured a freezing night on the streets to raise money and awareness for the 120,000 Australians who experience this reality every night.
Held on 10 June, the fundraising effort saw a team of 45 Woodards personnel made up of directors, staff and business partners spend the night in the cold at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne as part of the 2024 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
Notably, team Woodards succeeded in raising the most money across Victoria’s participants, with the Woodards Foundation generating over $146,000 to directly support people experiencing homelessness.
The Woodards Foundation was initially established by executive chairman of the Woodards Group, John Piccolo, alongside his wife Sharon Piccolo back in 2014, with the chairman explaining that the Woodard Foundation’s partnership with the St Vincent de Paul Society began through the foundation chair Jane Nathan’s previous contact with the charity organisation.
These discussions eventually turned into a partnership between the two entities that has endured since 2017.
The year the partnership was struck, Piccolo attended his first Vinnies CEO Sleepout, before being declared an ambassador for the event the following year.
According to Piccolo, the foundation’s mission is one of “giving back and supporting those in need”, with its 2024 result a testament to the awareness-based approach being taken by the Woodard Foundation.
Stressing the importance of having a focus, he shared that “the more conversations you can have, the more awareness you can create, [and] the more contacts you can generate” will all lead to better fundraising outcomes.
In detailing these efforts, Piccolo said he sends messages thanking each donor to accompany automated messages generated by the foundation’s website, stating his belief that these “personal connections make a difference”.
“It’s typically a conversation (which) can lead to bigger and better things. It’s just continually being front of mind and raising the awareness,” the network chair expressed.
Piccolo’s desire to spread consciousness on issues such as homelessness has remained at the heart of the Woodard Foundation and has cemented his belief that “every organisation has a corporate responsibility to focus on some form or area of philanthropy”.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to reap the rewards from being in the lucky country. I think it’s incumbent upon us and everyone else to ensure that our actions enable us to continue being the lucky country.”
“We mightn’t be as lucky as we were 50 years ago, but I’ve travelled over 40 countries around the world, and I still firmly believe that we (are) still the luckiest,” said Piccolo.
This sentiment has been influential in motivating personnel across the Woodards Group to voluntarily participate in the foundation’s activities, with this year’s Vinnies CEO Sleepout seeing staff of all levels rise up to the challenge.
“This is the first year that we’ve invited our staff, and it’s definitely given them an awareness of those that are experiencing homelessness. They want to now be involved,” Piccolo stated.
Following the Woodards Foundation’s success at the 2024 Vinnies CEO Sleepout, Piccolo relayed that the organisation is already considering new initiatives as the foundation’s efforts don’t “happen by autopilot”.
Even with the amount of work required in balancing the network’s real estate and charitable operations, Piccolo shared that “it’s great to get the recognition and know that you’re helping and making a difference in changing lives for the better”.
